Now... about Noah!

"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. We must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures."
William Shakespeare

Yes it is that time of year. The waters of the Zambezi continue to rise and everyone who wakes up to this great river experiences the awe only an exhibition of Mother Nature can bring. Visitors travelling to Zambia in the 2009 high season will witness a spectacle seen exclusively by the select few whose vacation timing happens to coincide with a natural phenomenon that has not been observe since 1969.

Our busy social schedule:

Ben and Honour will be attending Indaba for Tongabezi. We will be located on the Classic Safari Camps of Africa Stand No: B028 DEC.

Please contact ben@tongabezi.com and michelle@tongabezi.com or honour@honourway.com for appointments.

In our Kitchen

Our Comment Corner

Tongabezi continues to charm newlyweds!

The skills and services throughout our stay were perfect. Thank you for being so hospitable on the first leg of our honeymoon. We loved the friendliness of all the staff and that we were introduced on first name terms. It made the whole experience much more relaxed for us. Also appreciated the understanding and support around our missing luggage. All in all an amazing visit to Zambia made up of several great staff at Tongabezi, thank you!

Mr & Mrs Johnston

It was perfect in every way and we would not change a thing. Nyambe and Nelson were outstanding, no improvement needed! They were fantastic and they worked very well together. They always ensured that we were happy and we felt comfortable around them. Nyambe has guided Nelson very well and we feel Nelson is ready to make on excellent valet on his own.

Mr & Mrs Korb

Featuring A Flood

"Noah was a brave man to sail in a wooden boat with two termites"
...a little like deciding to build a lodge on the banks of the Zambezi?

Actually the Zambezi flooding is not exactly big news. It happens every year. In fact the pulse of this ancient flood cycle has determined much of the outcome of what medieval map makers called the Empire of Monomotapa! The history of the fourth largest river in Africa has only been accurately recorded for the last century or so and at Tongabezi we have seen the floods come in cycles with a peak every ten years – so the 1990’s were dry and the 2000’s wet – 2010’s dry? We only have a year to wait and find out! The river is usually around 400 meters (1,300 ft) wide where it flows into Zambia in the rainy season, but it can reach impressive typical dimensions of up to 25 kilometers (16mi) wide at the Barotse Floodplains.

The Zambezi river basin dictates the boundaries of countries, the number of inhabitants (currently around 32 million), their culture, their environment, their livelihood (80% of the population is dependent on the floodplains for their food) and now even the ebb and flow of tourists – everyone wants to experience the full might of Victoria Falls in all her glory. This time of year in the western province town of Mongu, the Lozi tribe are preparing for their annual ‘Kombuka’ ceremony, the movement of the people from lower to higher planes to escape the floods. So generally Zambia at this time is full of activity, excitement and lots of celebrations. Zambezi River Authority also runs our green energy from Kariba dam – so the bigger the flood the more environmentally friendly electricity.

In short – EVERYONE wants the Zambezi to flood!

2009 however has been record breaking so far, with water masses such as the Okavango Delta reaching its highest levels since 1939. While this has been an exception to the general rule, the particularly high floods bring both unbelievable natural beauty and a couple of complex challenges.

Why would you want to spend your vacation in a country experiencing a flood?

There are currently 21 districts in Zambia experiencing an emergency situation due to the floods. Tongabezi happens to be located just upstream from a natural fissure that conveniently dumps 500 million liters of water every minute - Victoria Falls literally liberates the area around it from the harsher realities of flooding.

Tongabezi enjoys a very close and rarely tempestuous relationship with the mighty Zambezi River. In fact as we manage Livingstone Island on the very lip of the Victoria Falls we have our finger permanently on the pulse of our river. The lodge has been designed to allow the Zambezi to always be a part of the view – not only when it decides to flood higher than normal twice a century. Whilst a particularly high flood can lead to room reassignments and turn our pool into the ultimate infinity pond it also results in astounding panoramic vistas from camp. The flood period is quite short and seeing the Falls in its full glory under perfectly cloudless skies is our idea of a day perfectly spent.

New at Tongabezi!

"Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic."

Another fantastic bonus is the fact that we are rebuilding Sindabezi in the midst of the biggest flood in years and so we know that all our accommodation is high enough to withstand one of Mother Nature’s more soppy moods!

Currently we obviously need to cope with her current temper though. Building on an Island in a flood this size is not a walk in the park... but Momo is up for the challenge! A particularly exciting part of our build is the fact that Sindabezi is being rebuilt to exacting standards that will result in our Island being the most environmentally friendly accommodation on the Zambezi! Not only are we installing solar panels but the island will benefit from state of the art grey water recycling and donkey boilers that will use recycled sawdust brackets. – There will be NO CHARCOAL on Sindabezi at all.

The floods are huge and the views are fantastic. Tongabezi Lodge has always been particularly special for its proximity to the Zambezi. Twice every century (or thereabouts!) the river reminds us who is in charge and we have to rearrange our plan to suit the Zambezi’s moods. We are old hands at this and the staff is expertly laying tables under the trees on the lawn for dinner and treating guests to extra care in their rooms.

Tujatane has a FABULOUS new volunteer!

Once upon a time (2006) a girl named Beth packed her bags and left for home, having volunteered at Tujatane School for three months. In the last couple of years Tujatane has continued to expand and Vanessa has been running the entire show. This is the tale of how Beth ended up right back where she started (and why Vanessa might have a moment to put up her feet)

I was studying for my degree in fine art and was writing my dissertation on Children’s visual language across cultures. I travelled quite a lot before embarking on my degree and have always been fascinated by other cultures and especially by children. It’s hard to explain how it feels when a place draws you in and leaves a mark that will stay with you forever, but that’s what happened for me in Zambia.

I did my three months, fuelled with inspiration which spurred me on to finish my degree and packed up to go home but I missed the school more than I ever thought I would.
I finished my degree, qualified to teach English to speakers of other languages and packed my bags again, this time headed to Central America.

I remained in contact with Vanessa and the school (secretly hoping that she would be in dire need of help and beg me to come back permanently!) eagerly awaiting newsletters and contact with the students. Then last Christmas (2008) I spent the holiday at home with my family for the first time in years and decided it had been far too long since I visited the school and I had to make a plan for 2009! I emailed Vanessa informing her of my desperate wish to come back to visit and ask when the best time to come for the school would be? The best time turned out to be two weeks later and ideally for a permanent position. My dreams have come true.

Livingstone Island News

Due to the increasingly high water levels of the Mighty Zambezi River, management has decided to close operations of Livingstone Island visits from Sunday the 22nd March, 2009 until further notice. The 22nd March, 2009 was therefore our last day of visits on the Island for this season.

Given the unpredictable nature of this years flood, we have no idea as yet when we will re-open, but hopefully it will be in early June, 2009.

We would like to thank you for your wonderful support and we apologize for any inconvenience caused due to your guests having to miss out on a Livingstone Island visit.

For any inquiry or assistances with regards to future reservations for Livingstone Island, please do not hesitate to contact us on +260 213 327 450 or the below phone numbers and email address.

Zambian Immigration dos and don’ts

Please advise all guests to make very sure of their immigration status well before their departure to Zambia. There have been a number of occasions recently where nationalities from a couple of countries were assured that they could purchase a visa from the embassy at home – only to find out that they could NOT on arrival!!!

While http://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/zims/VISA_FEES.aspx has most of the current information this is one situation where it really is better to be safe rather than sorry!

SERIOUS Special OFFERS!

Notes on specials

**Last chance to take advantage of our:

Tongabezi Lodge & Sausage Tree Camp special

As well as our

Tongabezi Lodge & Madikwe Camp special

**The Classic Camps special rates will run till the end of June.

**And of course our Fabulous Free House upgrade offer will be valid for the remainder of 2009.

Before you do anything else DO look at our latest fantastic New Sindabezi Grand Opening offer – Consider booking Sindabezi privately for your next group enquiry!

* Please note that the rates are in US$, are per person sharing and the published Terms & Conditions of Sausage Tree Camp and Tongabezi Lodge apply.

Return flights between Lusaka and Sausage tree ARE included
Flights between Lusaka and Livingstone are NOT included.
Rates for Singles and Children are available on request.

Lunar Rainbows in April

The next lunar rainbow viewing will be on the 9th April 2009. Join us at eight in the evening on the 8th, 9th and 10thth of April for a trip including wines, soft drinks, beers and spirits served at The Falls

For all the Lunar rainbow dates for 2009 & 2010 please have a look at our website